[SamPatt]

I work on OpenBazaar and want to add that we've built it to support people creating custom front end clients for their own particular use case and are not compelled at all to use the reference client.

So they can use the OpenBazaar backend but still have the local focus they want by making a new front end.

We've been working on decentralized ecommerce for a long time and I would love for a fresh group of developers to take a look at it and give us their thoughts. It's all MIT licensed open source.

[hardwaresofton]

I think it would be really good to finally take a solid stance on creating a path to deal with payments made outside the platform.

It seems like it could just be generalized and tied into the reputation system[0]. Basically just let users claim they've paid and let buyers claim they've received payment through whatever outside-platform method.

[0]: https://www.openbazaar.org/blog/decentralized-reputation-in-...

[jaxtellerSoA]

How does a distributed market (like OpenBazaar) deal with trust? Is every transaction put into escrow?

The idea of a open, distributed market, is great. But the reality of scammers, cheaters, etc. is a big hurdle to over come. One of the great things about Amazon is the customer service, I don't really worry about not getting a product, or if I need to return an item to Amazon I am also confident that it won't be an issue. This seems really hard to accomplish in a distributed system with lots of small "shops".

[SamPatt]

There are two types of payments in OpenBazaar: direct and moderated.

Direct is when buyers completely trust vendors. There's no escrow and no safety net at all.

Moderated is when both parties agree to a third party moderator and the funds go into a two of three multisig account. Two parties need to agree to release the funds. Normally it's the buyer and seller but if they can't agree then they open a dispute with the moderator, who resolves the dispute and sends the funds to rhe winning party (or slipts them).

Moderators get a small percentage payout when disputes are settled. It's an open marketplace for offering moderator services.

The moderator doesn't have complete control of the funds (two parties are needed) and they aren't even aware of the transaction until a dispute was opened, so it has some advantages over traditional centralized escrow services.

[antidesitter]

What’s the current status of proof-of-burn for reputation?

[SamPatt]

Not used. I was in the very early versions of OpenBazaar.

[russdpale]

Just wanted to say thanks. I think you guys are doing important work.